Stock feeding devices of the type disclosed in my U.S. Pat. No. 3,329,327 have been in commercial use for several years and have performed feeding operations in an expeditious manner. There are however some instances where misfeeds can occur in the use of such feeders if there is any improper sequencing of the stock gripping and feed actions, this being caused, among other possible reasons, by the applying and exhausting of pressure air to and from the main cylinder too early with respect to the applying and exhausting of pressure air to and from the stock grip cylinders. Without a slight time delay between the operation of the stock grip cylinders and the main cylinder the feed slide may commence movement in a feed direction before the stock is fully gripped and if this occurs the increment of stock fed during a feed cycle will be shorter than that for which the feeder is set.